Thoughts from ISU vs Neb VB match last night

[Clone Fan]

I attended the match last night and here are some random thoughts from a fan:

--Great overall match from our gals. We were on par if not better then the Huskers from point 0 thru 22 in all matches. Just could not seal the deal.

--Nebraska is huge! They have some very tall girls and were very tough at the net.

--Mass is amazing. She is all over the floor and just fun to watch. If you have a daughter who likes volleyball (as I do), be sure she watches Mass in action.

--Hannah Willms looked very impressive in warmups. I am glad we redshirted her as we have lots of talent on the floor right now. But she is going to be a special player at ISU.

--We are building a VB machine here. It really reminds me of our WBB program but even better. As soon as you think we may take a step back with out loss of a player due to injury or graduation, another steps in.

--The crowd was good and loud. Wish we could get more students but I understand the situation.

--For those who have not seen a ISU VB live, you need to put it on the "to do list". Unbelievable athletes and the action is so quick. Don't get me wrong, I love football, but it makes you realize how slow football is.

--It was HOT in the gym last night.

 

[vmbplayer]

Still gotta finish. We let them rally big time all 3 sets we lost. That CAN NOT happen if we want to win the Big 12 tourney or go deep in the NCAAs.

Also, the Ref overturned the proper call in the 4th set. Watching the replay on the DVR I think the ball was clearly tipped at 20-16. There should have been a set 5.

The other two calls about the lift, and the longer ball being in were both correct when I watched them again.

 

[CyclonePower88]

I'm not too big on volleyball (yet!) but as I was watching it on ESPNU I would have to agree that we just need to finish the set and not get ahead of ourselves when we're beating the she-devils of Nebraska in a set. It's awesome to have the crowd all up in the match considering it's at Ames High, but you gotta keep playing like the next point is the most important. Gotta give the team credit that they gave the Huskers a run for their money this time (all sets were decided by 3 points or less - that's huge for our program in itself)...and yeah, Mass is absolutely ridiculous. There's a reason she's an All-American.

 

[CyDude16]

We are also missing are best outside hitter, so I'll cut the girls some slack. I wish we had some more killer instinct though... I hope hensen or mass will be able to lead and install some of that into the other girls.

 

[Wesley]

Need a take charge person at the end of sets. One who says, gimme the ball and I will kill it (like Werth).

 

[Tornado man]

People are missing Carly Jensen's superb performance. Again, 17 kills and 17 digs. And that's at 5'11", going against 6'5" girls.
She has replaced Hockaday so well that we don't seem to miss a beat at that position.

 

[vmbplayer]

People are missing Carly Jensen's superb performance. Again, 17 kills and 17 digs. And that's at 5'11", going against 6'5" girls.
She has replaced Hockaday so well that we don't seem to miss a beat at that position.

She and Victoria both had a good match.

Did anyone else think we were too committed to the outside hitters though? I didn't look at the stats about it, but it seemed from watching like we were very effective whenever we attacked the middle.

I admittedly am no volleyball expert, but as a casual spectator and Cyclone fan, it seemed that the 6 and a half footers on NEs side were shutting down the outside while leaving the middle vulnerable. Would have liked to see the setter play the middle some more. Especially once we hit 20 points in any given set. They were selling out to shut down Victoria.

Great game from the ladies though. Very proud of how they played such a tight match against a top 4 team in the nation. I think if that match is replayed 10 times we win 5. Very proud of the Clones. Would love to see the Cyclones go steal one in Lincoln this year.

 

[Enginerd]

Glass half full - We competed well with one of five teams likely to win the NC without one of our best offensive weapons and we are relatively young.

Glass half empty - We could not close out leads on our home floor with a team that probably had a hangover from a very emotional previous win and our two best players on the floor are seniors.

Overall I am happy that we can lose one of our best players and still compete with a team that is a favorite for the NC. It's a very good sign for the program.

It appeared to me (at least on TV) that NU did not put much additional attention on Henson. It seemed like they were willing to give her numbers but they were intent on shutting down the rest of the team. Kind of reminds me of what we did with Hooker last season. If Straube and Jenson can contribute like last night we'll have a nice season.

Based on last night, preseaon all-Big 12 Banwarth has nothing on Mass.

 

[Tornado man]

I feel ISU will go deep into December with this team. It's better than last year's, IMO. Mass (the last point notwithstanding) is the best libero in the country. Our front line, with Jensen having such a monster game, looks great.
If Stanford and Illinois are on the first tier, and Nebraska, Penn State and Florida are on the second, ISU will be right there.
Would love to see the return match in Lincoln.
Also, it'd be nice if we could get radio coverage for our matches, home and away. For a program of this national stature, it's embarrassing that we don't.

 

[pulse]

Nebraska has that beast who couldn't be stopped. 3rd game was decided when they kept blocking VH until she finally hit high off the block. Mass is unbelievable. Those digs were incredible. A great match to watch. Jamie Straube had a nice game too. I loved the slow mo replay of the ball going off the Nebraska players face.

 

[AlumNi]

Still gotta finish. We let them rally big time all 3 sets we lost. That CAN NOT happen if we want to win the Big 12 tourney or go deep in the NCAAs.

Also, the Ref overturned the proper call in the 4th set. Watching the replay on the DVR I think the ball was clearly tipped at 20-16. There should have been a set 5.

The other two calls about the lift, and the longer ball being in were both correct when I watched them again.

There is no Big 12 tournament.

 

[vmbplayer]

There is no Big 12 tournament.

:twitcy: I stand corrected.

Like I mentioned earlier in the thread, casual fan. I guess I was just thinking of the NCAA tourney last year where they effectively made the bracket into a Big 12 tournament. My bad.

 

[mbbone]

I feel ISU will go deep into December with this team.

We could definitely go pretty far if the Big 12 doesn't get screwed again this year in the brackets.

 

[StPaulCyclone]

:twitcy: I stand corrected.

Like I mentioned earlier in the thread, casual fan. I guess I was just thinking of the NCAA tourney last year where they effectively made the bracket into a Big 12 tournament. My bad.

...and insured that the B12 teams would take each other out and allow the PSU/B10 to win it.

 

[Tornado man]

...and insured that the B12 teams would take each other out and allow the PSU/B10 to win it.

The Big 12 had their chance in the national title game - Penn State beat Texas.

 

[Royalclone]

The Big 12 had their chance in the national title game - Penn State beat Texas.

PSU was dominant no doubt, but it could have been them against three Big 12 schools with a little bit more favorable seeding.